Why do I have so many masters?

"If the young hero’s activities go smoothly, naturally that would be best, but if he encounters some trouble, I’m afraid it would be inseparable from the Immortal Pavilion."

"That friend of the young hero is extremely vigilant in his actions. With the means of the Immortal Pavilion, do not even think of easily locating him. If you want to confirm his position, you can either use the people of Jianghu for ’Expel Tigers Swallow Wolves’ plot or dispatch disciples to set up the Heavenly Nets Earthly Traps."

"And the Immortal Pavilion, proficient in the art of Medical Poison, conducts its affairs through the use of unique medicinal substances."

"The young hero should apply this ’Rain Dew Ointment’ to his nostrils, and he will be able to detect the unique fragrance of the Immortal Pavilion, which will facilitate his actions."

"Jianghu is dangerous, I hope you take care."

The handwriting on that piece of paper ended there, dense yet not chaotic, rather it was extremely elegant.

Wang Anfeng folded the paper neatly and put it back into the brocade pouch, then he took out the porcelain bottle and poured it onto the pads of his fingers. It felt slightly cool to the touch yet had no peculiar smell. He did not know what kind of medicinal materials were used to make it; even with Wang Anfeng’s current medical knowledge, he could not discern it.

In the dire situation, Wang Anfeng could not consider anything else; he promptly applied the ointment to his nostrils.

Instantly, he felt his breathing become exceptionally crisp and cool, and his sense of smell seemed greatly enhanced. A strange fragrance wafted from the direction slightly north of the city.

The young man’s expression changed slightly, he no longer paid attention to the horse, and instead, using his Qinggong, he dashed toward that direction.

The thin red horse, as if sentient, saw its master leave, snorted and started to walk; its bony figure, yet like a Flood Dragon, effortlessly followed behind Wang Anfeng, who was exerting his full strength in Qinggong, without showing any sign of strain.

............

"Gentlemen, that witch is dangerously toxic, who among the heroes is formidable enough to capture her?"

The white-haired old man eyed the tightly closed wooden door apprehensively but was unwilling to leave, his mouth inciting many martial artists, yet without any effect.

The two lying by the door were far from mediocre.

One-eyed Long’s sword technique was particularly ruthless, his personality fierce and persistent, also extremely vigilant, already having a significant reputation in the Jianghu of Xi Dingzhou City, well-known even across the whole Fufeng, yet unexpectedly met his end here.

Even the person who followed was a Ninth Grade martial artist.

The current situation was such that one going in would die alone, and two going in would both perish.

All these Jianghu martial artists were cunning figures; the secret manuals of Pharmacist Valley, no matter how tempting, how could they be compared to their own lives? For a moment, they all contemplated retreating.

Just then, a voice suddenly emerged from the crowd, saying:

"Fellow daoists, please listen to a word from me."

Everyone instinctively looked back to see who was speaking, only to see a short and vulgar-looking man with two tufts of whiskers resembling mouse whiskers above his lips, his eyes bulging from their sockets, twinkling cunningly, as he bowed to the left and right, saying:

"Please, I am Expel Tigers Swallow Wolves Gongsun Wu."

"Just look at Hero Zhao and the young brother who stepped forward earlier, both were struck by a strange poison and died from its attack on their hearts. The poison of Pharmacist Valley is derived from all things like plants, bamboos, and stones. This manifestation suggests it’s not a fire poison. If we could use fierce flames to burn it, in high temperatures, whatever kind of poison it is will surely be nonexistent."

His voice paused briefly, then seeing the surrounding martial artists in contemplation, he smiled and continued:

"Moreover, even if the poison is not completely burned away, under the scorching flames, we can still force that witch to come out."

"At that time, should we all swarm her, how could she possibly escape?!"

In a moment of hesitation, some were tempted, but still worried about the fire being too great, attracting the attention of the Patrol Officers of Great Qin, Gongsun Wu saw the expressions of the crowd, had already made a conclusion in his mind, and continued to persuade:

"If you heroes are worried about the government dogs, there is really no need."

"We are quite far from Xi Dingzhou City now, and nearby are just mountains. The fiercest martial artist of Great Qin in this area is no more than a Ninth Grade Patrol Guard. With our skills, if we head west toward the mountains before the Patrol Officers from Great Qin arrive, there would be absolutely no danger."

"At that time, with the sky as high as birds can fly and holding the secret manuals of Pharmacist Valley in our hands, where in this vast Jianghu couldn’t we go?"

Hearing this, the expressions in the eyes of the others flickered momentarily, and aside from one person who left, the remaining five agreed. Since it was deep winter, the courtyard had plenty of chopped dry firewood. The martial artists divided the work, bringing the firewood and dry grass to pile beside the house.

The Expel Tigers Swallow Wolves Gongsun Wu stood aside, took out a fire striker from his bosom, eyed the wooden house with a gleam in his eyes, and casually threw the fire striker onto the pile of firewood.

Inside the house.

Meng Yuexue heard the plans of the martial artists outside clearly.

Since that incident two years ago, she and Chuan Lian had traversed the Jianghu, seeing many dangerous scenes, and this was not the first time they encountered such a crisis.

Even with her wit, if not for Immortal Pavilion’s aggressive approach, her urgency to move Chuan Lian elsewhere, and her unintentional leaving behind of crucial medicinal materials forcing her to return for them, she wouldn’t have been driven to such a situation.

Even now, she was not despairing.

She only planned to wait until the fire was not yet fierce, to scatter all the poison fog from her body, and use the chaos to break out of the encirclement, first draw everyone away, then secretly return to this town and take Chuan Lian away.

With this in mind, her right hand touched the sword, while her left hand, wearing a deer-skin glove, was already reaching into her waist pouch.

At that moment, suddenly she heard a commotion outside, someone shouted:

"Damn, it snowed a few days ago, and this wood is damp, not lighting well…"

"Then go get some oil."

"From the houses next door..."

Meng Yuexue had just silently let out a sigh of relief when her heart tightened again.

The hand gripping the longsword involuntarily tightened with added strength.

In the neighboring residence lived a family of three generations, about a dozen people. When she had arrived in the town a month ago, she initially didn’t want to interact with ordinary people. However, the matriarch of that family fell seriously ill. Despite her longstanding encounter with Jianghu’s hardships, she ultimately couldn’t bear it and risked danger to help them.

Looking back now, the exposure of her whereabouts was very likely caused by that act of saving someone.

Meng Yuexue bit her lower lip slightly, feeling a trace of resentment. As a Jianghu traveler, possessing compassion was only a burden—a truth she should have understood long ago. Yet, the cries she heard at that time echoed in her ears, always reminding her of an old voice she used to hear often.

That time, Pharmacist Valley still existed, and beneath the cloud-capped peaks, an old man stood with his hands behind his back, speaking slowly:

"A physician should prioritize the heart, life is invaluable, worth a thousand gold."

"Whenever called, whether far or near, one must go."

"If it’s not out of benevolence, then one should not be a healer."

"These are the ancestral teachings of Pharmacist Valley, all of you must remember!"

Meng Yuexue’s lips were bitten until they bled, recalling close kin with eyes full of hatred, as if wishing she could tear them apart. Just then, she heard a commotion near her ear, and her expression subtly changed.

"Let go!"

In the neighboring courtyard, a young man suppressed by his relatives and elder shouted in a low voice.

He had just seen some Jianghu people coming over to get oil in the adjacent courtyard, which alarmed him. Even though he knew these Jianghu people harbored ill intent, his father still went with a smile to fetch a jug of vegetable oil for them.

Seeing his father bowing and scraping to those Jianghu people, participating in the vile deed of killing their savior, rage flared up in the young man’s heart, but he couldn’t break free, gasping heavily.

The Jianghu person carrying the jug of oil tossed down a piece of silver and turned to leave.

The men restraining the young man felt him struggle less and less, and they too sighed in relief. They had exerted much effort earlier but were getting tired. However, in that moment of relaxation, the young man suddenly exerted strength like a wild ox, flipping his brothers onto the ground.

With a sickle in hand, he fiercely threw it at the oil jug held by the Jianghu person.

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The Jianghu fighter who came to take advantage of the situation was not someone to provoke. Despite the youth’s strength, he was no match for a Jianghu fighter who had honed his body. The sickle, with a vicious wind, was easily dodged. The Jianghu Martial Artist frowned slightly, turned around, and his eyes slowly filled with malice as he looked at the young man.

The young man’s face paled, yet he was fearless, shouting:

"Miss, run!"

"They plan to use the oil to start a fire!"

Hearing this, the Jianghu fighter’s expression hardened, and he barked:

"Shut your mouth, kid! Do you want to die?!"

Rage rising, his left hand transformed into a claw, tearing through the air with a whistle, aimed at the young man’s neck. The power of his fingers was such that if he made contact, he might have decapitated him. Just then, from the neighboring courtyard, a commotion erupted.

There was a crisp snapping sound, and the roof of the wooden house broke open from within. A young girl dressed in dark indigo energetic attire, holding a sword, burst out. Her left hand swept across her waist, though she didn’t deploy the originally planned poison. Instead, she threw several penetrating silver needles, which whistled sharply through the air, breaking the silence. @@novelbin@@

The claw originally aimed at the young man’s neck was instantly penetrated by a silver needle. His expression changed, and he screamed in pain, retreating while covering his hand. Thinking he was about to die from poison, after a few breaths, he found himself still lively and noticed that the silver needle wasn’t poisoned. His face lit up with joy, and he shouted:

"This demon isn’t poisoned!"

"Everyone, get her!"

Without further concern for the young man, he leaped up, kicked the fallen oil jar, and another Martial Artist clapped to smash it. The dark tinted vegetable oil poured out, and immediately, a tinder was raised, igniting the oil-soaked kindling.

Flames roared up instantly.

Meng Yuexue, having lost her best chance to leave, stood on the ground with her sword in her right hand, staring at the people in front of her with icy cold eyes, her heart filled with silent resentment.

Just moments before, she had resolved to abandon her useless compassion, but at the critical moment, she found herself reacting almost instinctively. To prevent accidental harm from poison, the silver needles aimed at the oil-carrying Martial Artist were just ordinary needles, not envenomed.

Although she had defused the imminent danger in the neighboring yard, she had almost trapped herself in a deadly situation. In her ears, the voice she had been trying desperately to forget became even clearer, following her like a shadow.

"A physician should prioritize the heart, life is invaluable, worth a thousand gold."

"If it’s not out of benevolence, then one should not be a healer."

In her memory, the old man sighed. Turning his body, he gently stroked her young head with his hand, his expression complex as he smiled:

"The Poison King ultimately perishes due to his own poison."

"Xue’er, A’lian, remember, remember, the ancestral teachings of Pharmacist Valley must not be forgotten…"

"Do not embark on the path of evil."

Meng Yuexue’s teeth clamped tightly on her lower lip, her right hand tightly gripping the longsword, continuously emitting a low howl, churning out the nearly indomitable urge to kill and hatred in her heart.

The one to forget.

It was you, the traitor!

PS: First update delivered...